Salt Skin
by GeekaZoid420
Summary: I was drawn into the darkness, and watched furtively as he unknowingly showed me what he had become. It was then, and only then, in the dark, feeling much like a peeping tom, that I knew my best friend no longer existed.
1. Chapter 1

_"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody"_

_-Mark Twain_

***

_Preface_

I was drawn into the darkness, and watched furtively as he unknowingly showed me what he had become. The horror that struck me when I looked upon the glistening light sparkling from his newly found teeth, the darkness of his sultry looking eyes, and red liquid that oozed from his lips. It was then and only then, in the dark, waiting anxiously for him to acknowledge my presence, and feeling much like a peeping tom, that I realised, my best friend no longer existed.

Chapter one: _Fatal Attraction_.

Up until now I had no idea about the outside world; the extent of my existence was here, in Forks, Washington, a town I had lived for what seemed like forever, It almost felt like a part of me that was attached, and maybe if left, even for one tiny fraction of a second, I would lose that piece of me forever. Forks was a small town; Population: 3,120 people. It's better than it sounds, believe me. The nearest city was Seattle, but even that was 140 miles, and seeing as I have no car and not enough money to feed an ant, it looks like I'll be here for quite a while.

My sister had scrutinized every piece of clothing I had placed on my feeble body , I swear ; she did this _so_ often , It was even beginning to make me extremely self conscious. I didn't see her obsession with clothes, because in the end they are all designed to do the same thing; cover you up, although some work better than others. Mina was pretty, although you couldn't really tell by the mountains of make-up she used. She had dark jet black hair which was usually wavy but was now completely straight, it had also now been dyed red but it was only visible in the sunlight, and had surprisingly bright, almost electric blue eyes, which, in itself was quite strange. "I'm going to work guys." My father plainly said, like he did every day at this time. Charlie. He's the Chief of Police. I couldn't do what he does every day. He catches the bad guys. I keep telling him he should be proud of what he does, but he just says it's his job, not for his own selfish needs. He's a very simple minded person, not in a way that he's stupid , just that he doesn't talk very much ; I asked him once why , and all I can remember him saying is that , It's not that he doesn't like to talk , it's just that there's nothing to say. He's been like that ever since she died. We don't talk about it.

"Ok dad." I called from the top of the stairs. He took a glance at me, ran his hand through his dark curly hair, and turned for the door. "Dad" the words had come out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about saying them. His head turned slightly, his hand on the door knob, and he wasn't quite facing me, but I could tell he was listening. "What is it?" He said bleakly. On second thought, "Urm .. Have a nice day at work" His head never turned back to face me as he opened the door. "I'm making no promises". And then, he was gone.

"Bella get your manly butt over here!" Mina practically screeched from the other room. I'm not a guy by the way, although sometimes I reckon being a guy would be whole lot easier than being a girl. "What?" She shoved some clothes at me. "_NO_ way" As I stared in disbelief at the satin pink dress that looked more like a rag than a piece of clothing. "Why the hell not?!" "I'm going to school, not working the streets" I grumbled; and with that, I returned her clothes and recoiled out of the room and downstairs before she could say anything else. Ok, so it was the first day of school since summer vacation, but why make an effort? I hated school as much as I hated frills, and I _really_ hated frills.

The only good thing about going to school was to see your friends. And seeing as I hadn't seen mine for what felt like years, today was going to be a better day than any other. "Alright, let's go ... "My sister moaned as she trudged down the stairs. I followed behind her as we made our way out onto the footpath, my sister didn't own a car, even though she was eighteen and a senior, which was infuriating seeing as when I wanted a ride somewhere, I would have to ask my dad. And I knew it would always be an awkward journey. "OH MY GOD, MINA!" A voice screamed behind us, I didn't bother to look seeing as I knew it was Rachel , and a group of my sister's "Bftladfae's", yeah, I don't know what that is either.

Rachel pretty much looked the same as Mina, A clone if you will, apart from the fact that Rachel was paler than anything, despite her efforts to cover it up with fake tan. They both looked as if they were going to be gossiping about guys for quite some time so I decided to walk ahead by myself, which I did most mornings anyway, even though I had become to be accustom to their mindless chatter. But I really didn't feel like it this particular morning. The downpour of rain was quickening really fast, but I still kept a steady pace even as I looked at my own reflection in the puddles that soaked my shoes. I really didn't look anything like my sister. Or my dad to be perfectly honest. Like all great sob stories I didn't really know my mother , but apparently I had the same soft brown hair ,the same transparently white skin , and the same lifeless brown eyes ; I often wondered if that was the reason my father could sometimes not bear to look at me.

School didn't look any different to the last time I set eyes on it a hundred and four days ago. I was sad to see that everything was still intact. The gates stood proud almost like a bodyguard. It reminded me of the gateway to hell; which in a way it was. The doors were automatic and opened the moment a person's presence was detected, so I needn't bother put it off anymore; and walked reluctantly through the gates, ready to meet my doom. I looked down at my timetable. I had the worst classes imaginable. _Typical_.

It was beginning to annoy me that I was still sitting alone when I should be sitting with Edward. Maybe he got lost in England? Maybe he decided to stay there after all. I sighed. I mean he was born there right? Oh god, He's never coming back, and he owes me 5 dollars! I laughed out loud at my own ridiculous attempt to cheer myself up and the people, including Mr Massingham, started to stare. "Urm... got something stuck in my throat" I faked a cough; they all looked at me as if I was mad, a concept I consider more and more each day.

The class droned on monotonously and ten minutes after my outburst, and I decided to stare at the old wooden clock, which was randomly shoved in the corner of the classroom. Mr Massingham was rambling something in German and I automatically tuned it out, scrutinizing every single tick the second hand made. Another ten minutes passed and I was so utterly and completely bored, jumping into a vat of toxic waste sounded good right now, but settled for reading the rude messages on the desks left by past students.

"Is this seat taken?" A polite voice came from beside of me. "Yes "I automatically replied with looking up or giving the boy a glance. " It's saved for my _best_ friend; now off you pop" I concluded. As you can see from this delightful example, I'm not exactly a people person... quite rude actually... well only to the male gender I guess. "Hmm..." The voice wondered. "Maybe you could, point him out for me perhaps, I'm in no hurry" his voice was mocking, it angered me. "Well he's not here this very second is he!?" I whisper yelled."Well in that case I better take a seat" For some strange reason it was that very sentence that made me recognize that the stranger had an English accent. "So care to tell me what your problem is?" Too far buster. "Listen buddy, I don't know who the hell you think you –"Looking up towards this stranger, I saw a glimpse of someone I knew. He smiled at me, for he seemed to know who I was. I mean, I know nearly everyone's changed over the summer, started puberty, got a new haircut, thrown out their old wardrobe. Come to think of it, I'm the only person that hasn't changed. I've heard of some freaky growth problems, but this was a whole new level. I looked the boy in the eye. Or was he a man now?

"Ok who are you and what have you done to my best friend?" I whispered. He chuckled. "I'll take that as a complement shall I?" The smile he sold me was unbelievably bright, so bright in fact; it felt like it was melting my face off. "I – I" was all I managed to get out after I observed him properly. His skin was paler; perhaps it was because of the lack of sun in England. If it weren't for his unruly bronze coloured hair, I would have most likely failed to acknowledge him at all.

His eyes had dramatically changed too; their usual forest green had switched to an almost topaz colour; they had gone from wide and inviting, to deep set and brooding. His whole facial shape had changed as well, instead of being my chubby best friend with the double chin; he now had a strong prominent jaw, it was as if I were in some sick wet dream. "W-O-W" My inner girl said. I shook my head violently to perish the thought, which in turn made him cock his head to the side, a grin physically embossed onto his now long, muscular face.

"Feeling alright are we?" He asked smugly. I could still see him eyeing me even when I had turned as far away from him as humanely possible without looking too suspicious. His sleeves where rolled to the elbow which showed his long muscular arms , the muscle flexing every time he wrote into his notebook. I was shocked. Not just at the way my former fat best friend since birth was now unrealistically beautiful, but at the fact that I thought of him as _Attractive_. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm no shallow Hal... but I just thought that he would always be the one that I would talk to about the boy I'd eventually go crazy stalker bitch over, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that he would be that boy. He glanced over at me once more before the bell rang. _God save me now_.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two: _Green eyed monster._

I had to admit it. I was scared. What an understatement. I was terrified, petrified, basically any words in the thesaurus under the term "quaking in her boots" you can bet your life savings I was feeling it. I didn't actually know what to do with these strange a new feeling's I was experiencing, so I shunned them. In fact, I spent the rest of my day completely trying to avoid them altogether; it wasn't going too well. They always seemed to find me. He always seemed to find me.

What's a girl to do? His annoyance was finally brought to my attention when I was stomping home, in the cold autumn air, frustrated and immersed in my own thoughts. "_Isabella_" I could hear his low, urgent voice, not so far behind me. _Uh-oh_, I'm in trouble, he only uses my whole first name when he's angry, annoyed, or pleading. I then heard nothing for a few minutes, and thought he had gone, but quickly decided I didn't wanna stick around to find out. So I did what I do best. I ran.

Faster and faster, too lazy and too darn right scared to look back, the houses becoming a blur at one point. Then, with adrenaline still pumping in my veins and silence still wavering from behind me, I figured I lost him for sure, and triumphantly marched into my driveway. With my hand with an inch of the handle I knew there was no way he could catch me, right? Wrong. I was completely caught short when a figure appeared before me.

"Would you care to explain to me what's going on?" his voice was demanding, with one perfect angular eyebrow raised. My hand was still lingering in the air, longing to turn the handle and run inside to safety. "THINK WOMAN, THINK!" My inner girl screamed at me, my brain now working at full power just to conjure up an answer. I shook my head again and turned away from him defeated in my battle to try not sound like a complete and utter fool. "Hey, hey I'm talking to you" he sighed grabbing my hand firmly. The coldness of his hand radiated through my tattered black gloves, so cold that I would have even suggested him coming inside to warm up. Unfortunately I was way too much of a coward for that. I spun to face him, and his eyes were burning a hole straight through my head. I did nothing but watch my own breath in the crisp autumn air.

"C'mon Bella, just tell me what's up?" I didn't say anything. "I'll give you this lollipop" He grinned, the wrapper crackling as he removed it from his pocket. I couldn't help but grin too. "It's nothing. Honestly." I spluttered out clumsily. "You're lying" His smile faltered. "No you don't under-" I was interrupted by loud giggling down the street. Turning to the source of the noise, I could now see half a dozen girls hiding behind trees staring sheepishly at Edward.

He beamed at them, and one of the girls fainted, a few turned bright red, and a couple of them giggled louder. I couldn't blame them of course; he was beyond the valley of beautiful, the way he was standing there with his hands in his pockets, his tousled bronze hair gently swaying in the breeze, his eyes a vibrant liquid gold, the way his black turtleneck emphasised his new body... "HEY! COMING THROUGH, EXCUSE ME, THIS IS MY HOUSE!" Mina shouted interrupting my ogling and angrily pushing past the crowd of now dazed and confused girls. She paused and turned to a brunette haired girl in the front, seething, "AND IF YOUR GONNA BLOCK THE ENTRANCE TO MY HOME, AT LEAST GET SOME SHOES THAT MATCH THAT OUTFIT!" She stormed away from the offended looking girl. "God what the hell is this?" she moaned as I quickly and subtly wiped the drool off my chin.

"Edward's groupies" I snorted. She looked back at me puzzled. "What?" She said glancing at the tall figure beside me. "Urm, right over here" he waved his hand in front of her face and looked at him with a blank expression, which soon changed to an expression I knew VERY well, and I'll tell ya now, I did not like it. " _My , my_" she began running her hand up his arm " Haven't we ," she looked him up and down , " _Enhanced_ , since the last time I saw you" , He looked away , obviously embarrassed , You see , Edward had had the biggest crush on my sister since as long as I could remember, which never really bothered me. _Until now_.

"_Really_? How was it? I've always wanted to visit the Globe Theatre!" Mina swooned, flirtingly touching Edward's arm. I snorted out loud, resorting in a sideway death glare from her. She and I both know that she would fall asleep during the first ten minutes. "WOW ALEX! YOUR MUSCLES ARE SOO BIG, SOMEBODYS BEEN WORKING OUT!" Mina yelled. Oh dear god, something had to be done. "SAY SOMETHING. SAY SOMETHING!" My inner girl screeched. "Sometimes" he laughed nervously. "Err I'm gonna go do ... homework?" I mumbled. "Go ahead, don't let us stop you" he replied smiling crookedly at my sister. She blushed, her cheeks turning a violent tomato red. In that moment something changed in Edward. His eyes turned coal black whilst he started to reach for his throat, growling, yes growling, almost as if he was throttling himself. Me and Mina stood wide eyed at him, not sure what was happening. And then, in a blink of an eye, he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: _Encounters of the Gross Kind_.

I lay awake that night, thinking, wondering, and replaying the scene from this afternoon. Did he have something stuck in his throat? Perhaps, he was being sarcastic, maybe he didn't really think my sister was beautiful and he was showing that he would rather throttle himself than go on a date with her? I then realised I was being ridiculous. By the look on his face, he definitely wasn't being sarcastic. Even if any of my pathetic theories were right, that still doesn't explain everything, like the fact his eyes had changed from gold to black in a matter of seconds. Now I'm no expert, but I don't think that's normal... Well, unless Edward had some crazy eye changing colour disease I never knew about. I finally gave up, and settled into a deep, dreamless sleep. I would have to find the truth out at school tomorrow.

"Now could I could please have the attention of the class, today's assignment –" "KICK SOME ASS!" Chris Hawkins the joker of the class yelled. Everyone laughed at his lame "School of Rock" joke and Mr Massingham continued. " As I was saying," He paused to sideways glare at Chris who was laying back smugly in his chair " As a result of doing dissection today ,you will be working in partners that, thanks to Mr Hawkins's outburst I will be choosing for you". I groaned along with the rest of the class and turned to glare at Chris.

He recited the list of partners, and I was pleased to know that I hadn't been put with a completely incompetent fool. I had been partnered with an small pixel like girl I was quite fond of, Alice. She had a short, jet black hair, pointed in every direction. She also had sky blue eyes, a obvious taste for fashion, and a bright smile. "Hi" She said politely as she walked over to my desk. "Hey, look I don't mean to be a big baby but I'm kinda squeamish, so you might have to take the reins on this one" we both laughed at my embarrassing confession. "That's cool" she replied inching closer as I backed away from the lifeless frog inhabiting the desk. Trying to focus on anything over than the dead corpse, I aimlessly glanced around the room, taking in everyone's faces as well as their reactions to the assignment.

My eyes stopped and I stifled a gasp as I noticed that Edward was partnered with the renowned school slut, Liza Ritchings. I christened her Liza Retchings as she was a crude, posh, lying, scheming, retch. My reason for hating her with a vengeance is as follows; In 2nd grade she purposely spread lip-gloss all over my brand new coat; 3rd grade she pulled down my pants in front of the whole class when I was delivering a speech, but she got in trouble for that one which made me feel a little better; 6th grade when she posted flyers around school with my face on a obese man's body; 7th grade when she spread a rumour round to everyone that I was a lesbian, hence why I had never had a boyfriend. Certain girls still keep giving me funny looks in the gym lockers even now. Up until now, that had been the worst. Now watching them from across the room cringing, I wasn't so sure.

Edward seemed to be having a good time with her though. In fact, he seemed to be having an even better time than he should be. My eyes narrowed. I scrutinized every movement they made, my eyes narrowing much more frequently, whenever she put her fish lips up to his ear to whisper something; so much so that it must have looked like I was squinting. "Just go over there and rip her puny little head off" My inner girl growled. And trust me; I sure as hell would of happily obliged, but my reasonable side won. For now. Class finally ended, and I was distraught. The Entire lesson Liza Retchings had been running her foot up and down Edward's trouser leg, touching him, whispering to him, I felt like throwing a chair at the both of them. Edward just sat there, laughing and joking like nothing was possibly the matter.

He scratched at his throat noun again; he probably had a cold or something. "Um, Isabella?" Alice tapped me "What?!" I snapped at her. She recoiled and I instantly felt bad. "Sorry, I'm just ... stressed." "Yeah I mean liking your best friend must have that kind of effect" She smirked "Is it that obvious?" I screeched and some people turned to look at me, I ignored them. "Err, kinda yeah when all you've been doing this whole class is growling at Liza and Edward sex talking each other" She laughed. I would have to be more careful.

If this gets out the embarrassment would be beyond compare. "Oh. I didn't realise" I spoke uneasily; "Hey don't worry, I won't tell anyone" she made her mouth into a lock and threw away the key. I couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, I don't think I could face the humiliation" "What's so humiliating? He's an attractive guy Isabella" "Please, Call me Bella, and I suppose" I turned to look at him, a god in all his glory. "Then what's the problem?" she asked "I ... don't know." my eyes locked on him. I then came back into reality , and realised that everyone else was exiting the room , so me and Alice shoved everything in our bags , when we got to the door , Liza and Edward were still sitting down , And Mr Massingham was in the process of telling them to get the hell out. "I'll see you later" I waved to Alice, "Yeah, see you tomorrow".

I was relived it was the end to another antagonizing school day, but I didn't get a chance to speak to Edward. "Well he seemed a little preoccupied" My inner girl said sarcastically, reminding me that I was still angry. It seems it was his turn to go AWOL on me, because even before the whole Liza facade, I was sure he was avoiding me as I had not properly caught a glimpse of him the entire day, apart from that class. Squinting through the glass of the main exit, I realised that it was raining. I clenched my fists to my sides and charged out into the rain, showing I had no fear.

I wondered when everyone had got out so quickly. All the cars in the car park were gone, and there was no one to be seen on the school site. The journey home was surprisingly peaceful, well that was until I got 3 blocks down and I remembered I had brought a jacket to school. Annoyed, I stomped back up the road and through the gates of hell once again. I stopped in my tracks when I heard the giggling.

"Oh Edward, who knew what a dark horse you were" My face scrunched up in horror, but my legs continued walking, as if independent from my body. The hall floor was squeaky clean, so shiny I could see my reflection, it was silent too, and that was of course before I could hear that whiny bitch. I don't swear too often out loud, I find it quite degrading, but in this case I could find no other term that fit her as perfectly as "bitch" did. Besides it was in my head so it didn't count. "Oh Edward, you're so strong" she groaned. I could taste the bile in my throat, but I still didn't stop walking. I should have. But I didn't. I was never one to do what I should do.

I got to the classroom, and my heart sank into my shoe. Liza was pushed up onto Mr Massingham's desk whilst Edward was in the process of sucking her neck, and removing his pants. I assumed Edward was still a virgin, I mean let's be honest here, and no girl ever seemed to take an interest in him when his neck was barely visible. He was never ashamed about it, we were only seventeen after all, and he always went on about how it was going to be saved for someone special. _I always knew he was bull crapping me_. Even so I couldn't let him do this. Beside's my jacket was still inside the room. I gripped the doorknob tightly, and my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. Firmly I twisted the doorknob and opened the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: _Sexual Tension._

I was going to puke. I knew it. They both looked at me, Liza's face was filled with humour, she found this funny?! Her smug expression made me want to punch her right between the eyes. "Well if you don't I will" Inner girl snarled. Edward's face was angry. He looked at me with pure resentment. His eyes were black, and I was terrified. "Do you need something?" He hissed "Yeah we're kinda busy" Liza smirked. "I forgot my jacket" I said through gritted teeth. "Well I suggest you retrieve it, and leave" Edward snarled. I stared at him, God; I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Edward" It sounded more like a question than a statement, and before I knew it he had dragged me into the hall, hastily slamming the door behind him. "What do you want?" he sighed his voice a tad calmer than before. "What the hell is going on here Edward?" "Honestly Bella, I thought your parents would have given you the 'talk' by now." he growled venom dripping from his words. "Ha-ha. Why would you do that Edward?!" I shouted, stunned. " Because I can !" yelling as close to my face as ever , I backed up and stared wide eyed at him , as he ran a hand through his messy; and may I say _Sweaty,_ bronze hair. "What?" My eyes turning into slits. Was this really happening?

"You _heard_ me" He challenged and glided towards me with unusual gracefulness. I was thoroughly aware that he was shirtless, but I tried not to let that distract my concentration. "What are you implying?!" "I'm not implying anything, _just stating the facts_". "Which are?!" He ignored my question. "Look, I'm a bit confused at the moment, I think it best if you were to give me some space" I don't get it. I haven't done anything wrong. Have I? "I don't understand" I said, my tone gentle. "_And you never will!" _he replied raising his voice. I stood there, trying to find the right words to say. "What aren't telling me here Edward?" He said nothing. The anger rose up in me like a raging fireball. "What? You don't trust me anymore? Am I not good enough now you've lost the extra chin?" He flinched, and then glowered down at me. "Oh you know what? Just forget it. I ask you do to one simple thing for me and there you go again, questioning my motives, always questioning my motives. Making it seems as if I'm hiding something. One thing I ask of you. _One_." He continued raising one long pale finger. "And you can't even seem to do that. _Are you completely incompetent?" _he sighed, his voice harsh.

I was thoroughly angry now, no more than that, more like royally pissed off, and I knew I couldn't restrain myself any longer, all I could see was red, and before I knew it; my hand had collided with his left cheek. It felt good. I hit him again, this time on his right cheek. Then I just started aimlessly hitting and kicking and scratching him. I must have looked like a women possessed. I was surprised that when I kneed him in the groin and he didn't so much as flinch. "Ouch" I whispered rubbing my knee whilst noticing on my hands newly acquired black and blue bruises. I then looked back up at him again; he was completely unscathed.

He glared down at me, considering he was at least six foot three, a whole head taller than me. I was about to smack him across the face again but he reacted before me. He roughly pushed me up against the wall and pinned my hands firmly above my head. He was stronger than I had remembered him to be, with arms like a vice; He leaned down, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of my neck. "_Nice kitty_" he growled, his eyes smouldering as he bit my ear.

My heart was thumping so erratically that he actually laughed. He was about to lean in again, though his lips never touched mine, they still tingled at the thought. But as expected, that unmistakeable whiny voice interrupted. "BABY?! WHERE ARE YOU?! I'M NOT GUNA WAIT ALL DAY YAKNOW!" He stared directly at me and grinned "I'm coming" he called back, our eyes locked. Without faltering our gaze he moved a lose strand of hair behind my ear. "_Tomorrow_" He whispered seductively in my ear and slipped back into the classroom.

I was frozen in place. Unable to move. Unable to speak. Unable to think. I didn't know who he was anymore. He certainly wasn't my Edward. And the strange thing is. I kinda liked it. I was purely laughing out of shock, which was until my inner girl spoke._ "He's was your best friend... the chubby kid who none of the girls would look twice at, and who none of the guys would waste their time talking to. No matter how much you may have liked that, whoever he is, isn't Edward. Something weird's going on, and you need to find out what. Soon. "_ I sighed in agreement, hung my head and trudged home in the soggy wetness; only to realise that I had forgotten my jacket, yet again. Well there was no way I was going back now. _Not a chance in hell._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: _The Body._

I hadn't told anybody about Edward. Why would I? It would all be too awkward. My dad had never really had the sex talk with me, so when I did finally find out about it, I was disgusted. I wasn't disgusted last night though. Not that we actually had had sex. But still, it's the closest I've ever been to a guy, without it resulting in me punching him in the face, that is. To be perfectly honest I feel cheap and a little used. _Who was this guy? And why was he toying with my emotions?_

I was all too eager to get to school the following morning, despite my heart beating in my ears. The strangest thing happened though, my dad offered to drive me and my sister to school that morning. He said he was going that way anyway. It was a strange I must admit, but I didn't argue. The sooner I got to school, the sooner I saw Edward. I shot gunned the front seat of my dad's police cruiser. Mina whined. But this morning nothing, not even a whiny sister and a dad who was practically dead inside could get me down. But I should have known that nothing lasts forever. The blue and red lights flashed as soon as we were mere yards away from the school.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion from there. Do you ever get that? When certain points of your life play in slow motion? Well this is one I'll never forget. I could see the feet of the body, their toenails painted a shocking pink and it all suddenly became clear. My dad was needed here. I jumped out of the car so fast I swear I almost twisted my ankle but still managed to limp over to Alice who was standing wide eyed with two boys. I knew instantly they were both Native Americans. One was quite tall with choppy black hair and dark eyes and the other immensely tall, a head taller than Edward easily; he also jet black hair coaxed back into slick ponytail. Something about him was oddly familiar. "Hey" I greeted them all, shock apparent in my voice. "Hey" they all replied in unison. I turned the same way they were all facing.

We all stood wordlessly watching the body being carried in the hospital's van. "What happened?" I said, barely above a whisper. "We don't know for sure yet." The shorter boy said. "I heard one of the guys talking though. He said that the body has been completely drained" The taller one sighed. My face crumpled. "What do you mean?" "It means that the all the blood in her body is gone. Disappeared. Just out of thin air. Not a cut or a bruise to be found." I rewinded his sentence a couple of times. Taking the words in. "Did you say her?" I asked, astounded. "Yes" he replied. I turned back to face the van, as did the rest of them. "Who is it?" I choked, almost not getting the words out.

"Eliza Ritchings" Alice whispered. I gasped. No it couldn't be. "Angela Webber found her body this morning, lying on the ground behind that tree" she pointed to the grand willow tree near the entrance to the parking lot. It stood there menacingly, a harbourer of the dead. I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. "She couldn't be, dead? I mean don't get me wrong, I detested her as much as the next person, but I didn't want her to actually die.

"The police are asking people who was last seen with her, nobody's owned up though" the sandy haired one whispered. My breath caught._ I knew_. I knew who she was with. How could she have died with him there?! "_Unless_..." My inner girl pondered. No. It's not possible. It can't be. "How can you be sure? He's not exactly been himself the past few days. _ANYTHING is possible Bella. Anything._" The voice echoed in my head, over and over again. Anything. I stood there. Mouth agape, hands shaking. "_Bella_?" Alice asked. I could feel it. I stumbled to the side a bit, and bumped into the sandy haired boy. "_Bella!" _Alice yelled, but it was too late. The darkness took over. I was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: _Wake up call._

My eyes fluttered. Beep, beep, beep. It was all I could hear. Beep, beep, beep. I opened my eyes fully only to meet the anxious gaze of my sister and my father. "You're awake" my father sighed; "We were so worried, weren't we dad?" my sister whispered frantically.

"Yeah, look I'm gonna go speak to the nurse, ask how long it will be until we can take you home, it should be soon though, you only fainted" he turned and walked out the door. _"So much for an emotional reunion (!)"_ my inner girl said sarcastically. I didn't need an explanation as to what happened. In fact I already knew. When everything tends to be too much, everything goes black. Sort of like a system overload. It didn't bother me, although it scared my sister just the same every time. "I was so worried" Mina sighed, "Hey, I'm as hard as nails" I grinned at her. My sister and I have always been quite close, despite our cultural differences.

"Oh I forgot, there's someone here to see you" Her eyebrows were raised and her smile was mischievous, she was up to something. What's Edward doing here? I thought. "I'll go get him" she stood up, and wiggled her eyebrows once more before exiting the room. The more I think about it, the more none of this makes sense. I thought Mina liked Edward. Why would she be happy that he's here to see me instead of her? I wasn't even sure I wanted to see him. Not after the classroom episode. What if he tries's it again? He's different. Not him. I don't get it. If it gets out of hand, I'll just press the panic button or something; there isn't much he can do in a hospital. Right?

I was so prepared for what to do when Edward did walk in here, that I wasn't prepared at all for when he didn't. Standing at the door shyly, was one of the boy's from when I had fainted, the taller one. I was shocked to realise that I was a little disappointed.

"Hey, you probably don't remember me, I was there when you passed out" he laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah no, I remember" I said, smiling as friendly as I could. I told you I didn't really like guys. But I suppose this one's bearable. He held out a hand; "I'm Jacob. Jacob Black" he confirmed smiling brightly at me.

"Wait Black?" There's that familiarity again. "Yeah, I'm Billy's son, I know your dad and him are good friends" "Oh yeah!, I knew I had seen your face somewhere" "Well I do have a memorable face" He grinned; I laughed In response "Isabella Swan" I extended my hand and shook his "But please, just call me Bella". "Will do" he said, saluting me, I couldn't help grinning at him, it seemed infectious.

"Anyway" he began "I just came to check you were alright, Alice was freaking out, she thought you were ..." He trailed off suggestively. I laughed louder than I meant to. "Well you can tell her I'm alive, I should be out of here soon as well, so I'll see her at school" He nodded and waved goodbye before exiting the room. Maybe guys aren't all that bad after all. I closed my eyes for what felt like a lifetime, and when I opened them I was met with the smirking face of Edward, in all his wild-haired glory.


End file.
